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View Full Version : How badly will Post Office Closures in rural areas affect AT Hikers?



Comet Omega
07-26-2011, 18:46
Saw that the USPS is closing a bunch of Post Offices and mostly rural ones. This will affect a lot of hikers, but how badly and what happens to mail drops sent during closures?

http://news.yahoo.com/post-office-looking-close-offices-save-money-002241371.html

emerald
07-26-2011, 18:58
A thread discussing Glencliff, New Hampshire's post office closure was started several weeks ago. Searches turn up nothing for me. Maybe someone else can find it.

Does anyone know of others near the A.T. scheduled for closure?

Jeff
07-26-2011, 19:00
Somehow hikers will still be able to a enjoy a successful thruhike. Hostels, outfitters and other trailside businesses will fill the void.

SGT Rock
07-26-2011, 19:17
I just saw that Fontana Dam post office is on the list. Bad news for hikers for sure:

http://about.usps.com/news/electronic-press-kits/expandedaccess/states/northcarolina.htm

WingedMonkey
07-26-2011, 19:34
I think that one of the effects will be that motels, hostels and outfitters that already charge for package holding will charge more, and those that haven't before will start charging. So add the higher cost of postage and the hold charge and it adds up to more expense for hikers.

WalkinHome
07-27-2011, 11:44
They say that some of the closed PO's might end up being contracted out to a local store and such. In the end, some could actually be better for hikers as they would likely have more flexible hours of being open.

SGT Rock
07-27-2011, 12:00
I've checked about the Fontana PO, looks like they plan to go WalkinHome's route. The store will still accept packages mailed there, and that is a good thing since they are opened more hours and days than the PO was.